Swissie

lol Gemnimo - which just proves the case- if brought in such a strict up-bringing, some will turn out to be right reprobates! xx

Pfui - usually used for dogs to say - don't touch/eat=disgusting. Va-t-en   =  go away     fiche le camps  =  buzz off       allez, zou  =  buzz off no 2              Bonne chance

I'd like to second that. Bonne chance et bon courage à vous deux. xx  Swissie

Lucky you, it sounds great. Send us a picture next time you are there, please. Many local names here are of Huguenot origin : Gueniat, Gogniat, Huguenin, etc.

We visited it last year- and of course our guide told us it is the most famous in England - as they always do. All Protestants here in Switzerland wear the Huguenot cross - I was given one by my Godmother, who came from Alsace, but I have to admit I lost it a long time ago. Strange that I never noticed the Huguenot Church near Leicester Square, as I often use the short cut by the side of the National Gallery. Will look out for it next time I am there.

BTW the most famous Huguenot Church is underneath Canterbury Cathedral- and is still active today. My ancestors were by definition Protestants when they escaped to Switzerland, and persecuted for their beliefs. But they ended up in a Catholic area of Switzerland, and within 3 generations, became Catholics. Nobody knows why exactly, but I can imagine it was in order to integrate and in order to do well in their trade and business. My grandfather moved to my native Canton (Neuchatel) in the 19C- and joined the Catholic congregation there, which was very much a minority at the time. My father was brought up in the darkest and fiercest Catholic tradition, hell and fire. When he met my mother, daughter of a mill owner, protestant, divorced with a young son- hell and damnation certainly ensued, from both families, and they suffered greatly. I seemed so ridiculous when I found out later that we were of Huguenot stock.

Somebody today recommended   leboncoin.fr    as a good place to search. Bonne chance. Sorry for mentioning gazundering - which is when buyers ask for a big reduction on day of signing contract and paying deposit. You need to be aware that this CAN happen- and be prepared and ready, as it all happens so quickly on the day. You need to decide if you'd be prepared to 'bend' and to what extent, or if you would send them off with a flea in their ear!

Great news- we went through all that recently, and moved exactly 1 year ago. Hate to say this, but have you got a contract and deposit? Sadly our house fell through several times, with people trying to gazunder at last minute. Hopefully all will go well for you and that your buyer stays true. Bonne chance.

Huguenots have been discussed elsewhere - but perhaps it deserves to have its own thread. Are you of Huguenots descent like me? My ancestors came over to the Swiss Jura, and my maiden surname is closely linked. Here in Switzerland, as in the UK, Huguenots brought excellent skills, talent and experience. The Swiss and London watch and clock making tradition comes from them.

Richard - I have no idea where you live and what your experiences are. Personally I lived and taught in Leicester/shire most of my adult life. Unlike some of the northern cities, where immigration often clashed with the destruction of traditional industries and mining- the Leicestershire experience has been vastly differerent and so much more positive. Asians in Leicester (overall) have contributed hugely and have been very successful. They also (mostly) managed to keep their culture AND integrate. No resentment about celebrating Diwali, about the wonderful Golden Mile shops and restaurants, about our Jain Temple, etc. The Inner City working class terrassed streets, abandoned and derelict in the 60s, have sprung back to life, and Asian wealth later travelled into the suburbs. Yes, Leicester is a great example of how it can work. I will leave it at that now - as little can be gained. I never knew my grand-father- he died just before I was born. A textile mill owner, he made his fortune selling high quality sport/ski wear and gentlemen clothing- but diverted to selling army uniforms during the war. He made a pretty penny, which was then squandered by my uncle. So NO I did not profit from said trade.Thank you. Could you tell me if you live in the UK or France, and how long you've lived in France if at all. Just for future reference.

Ebaynut- this is just so below the belt and quite shameful. I have British nationality and lived, worked and raised a family in England, where I spent 39 years until last March. I currently live 400m from the French border, of French descent. I live in the UK part of the time, and have family and friends in UK, including children and grand-children. So don't tell me I am not entitled to comment on life in UK. Your attack on the Swiss in order to counter my comment can only be called pathetic. Shame on you (and on those Swiss that did use the war to get rich - including my grand-father, whose actions I refuse to be responsible for, sorry).

Surely you are not saying that the bikers only used war just to go and have fun on their bikes? If so it would be seriously disrespectful to the families of lost soldiers. So would it be if it is a anti-muslim demo. If it is going to happen, you've got to make it clear, to yourself first, what it is about.

[quote user="Richard51"]@Swissie Because it would be better to follow the American model: assimilation rather than multiculturalism.  The latter focusses on differences rather than similarities and creates ghettos. [/quote] NOT necessarily - it is possible to keep strong roots and one's cultural identity AND assimilate fully. I lived and taught in Leicester schools for many many years - and we had Indian families who were incredibly well integrated and still had a strong cultural identity. Same for many Poles, and other groups.  Ghettos are often created by rejection and fear. If people can proudly and positively celebrate their 'differences', and share them with other groups, including the indigenous population - this encourages integration, but without this assimilation which turns everybody into nobodies.

Born and bred in Switzerland, of Huguenot descent - married to a Brit in 1971, spent next 39 years in UK - acquired British nationality. Now back in Switzerland, with British husband, born Cape Town of incredibly mixed heritage, including English grand-father. Daughters and grand-children in UK.

Why should Britain be multicultural and celebrate diversity? Because it has always been and always has. Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Picts, Jutes, Danish Vikings, Norman (Vikings) - and all that by 1066 -and this is what has always made Great Britain so great. Why should it stop now. My little grandson looks typically Irish, like his dad. He is a mixture of 4 races and about 9 nationalities over past 4 generations. He will never encounter racism though.

Thank you for your reply, and thank you also for seeing my mail as a genuine desire to understand the issues and to find solutions for the future. Merci. The friend who had her dog 'done' has given me more details. Her vet mainly deals with big animals, and is of the 'old fashioned' kind - old surgery, few machines - but extremely knowledgeable and experienced, and the cost was indeed E48 + E10 approx for post op drugs. She had a cat to be spayed recently, but couldn't get an early appointment, so had to pay E132 at a town surgery (with all mod cons). She is in the Limoges area. So RH you are right, great variations in style and price around. I am sure however, as Rowan says, that special deal could be struck for sessions with a vet, and perhaps with a vet school, to bring cost down - maybe the Pontarlier SPA has found a good solution which allows them to sterilise all animals and ask for E155. If people can't pay that small difference - then what sort of adoptors will they be? I am not interested in an argument, or being proven right or wrong - all I hope for is that animals are given a chance of a proper future which will not produce 100000s more unwanted animals. Have done lots and lots of French Googling past few days- and it seems that there is a reluctance in France to castrate/sterilise, especially for males. (btw the French still have great difficulty accepting sterilisation in humans too) - so it is essential to educate the public. Again Rowan, thank you for your generosity, and my very very best wishes to you and all the volunteers in all the SPAs, wherever they are. xx Swissie

Richard51 - your friend worked for a charity that dealt with very poor people in Romania- part of the failure of any charity project is sometimes due to a lack of understanding of the culture, however well intentioned the actions. Imagine a Romanian Doctor coming to work in a poor inner city estate of some of our large cities- do you think they might not get frustrated too. I have taught in the UK in 5 different schools - and I can assure you that the major problems we had with some kids were not from immigrant families, but British kids from some of the Estates- where parents had been on the dole for generations and (for all sorts of reasons) had absolutely no ambition or apparent desire to improve their lot. Just because I have worked with those kids and families, I wouldn't dream of labelling the British nation lazy, etc. The reason they killed the chickens in November is traditionally because no food or shelter was available during the harsh winters, and hens would stop laying anyway - same used to happen in Switzerland with cattle and sheep. It shows that proper research into traditions and realities of a community must be studied properly before setting up such projects. If that had been done, some hens and a few cockerels could have been taken in by the charity for the winter seasons, and the whole project started again in Spring. There are indeed problems with immigration is all West European countries, and in Switzerland we have more than double the immigrant ratio of the UK. And it would be folly to ignore them and not to try and solve them. But racist, I will never be. The UK would grind to a halt without its immigrants, and so would Switzerland and France. My husband's family emigrated from South Africa at the time of apartheid, and they did need help at the start. But all three children did fantastically well in their education, against all odds, and all contributed enormously during their working lives. It was Tebbut who said 'get on your bike' - and this is exactly what I would do if I lived in a country where I felt my children did not have a chance of a good education and a future. I wouldn't sit there and wallow - and this is exactly what immigrants are doing. Which does NOT mean that abuse must be tolerated and not addressed.

Thanks Quillan - I was so proud, being about 15, that I'd understood most of the English. If I remember correctly it was in a Scouse accent too. You poor Frenchie - how I remember those week-ends of marking endless books and essays. Arghhhhhh. I do miss teaching sometimes - but NOT the marking!

Non je n'ai jamais joué à la brocanteuse! Tu m'as fait rire avec le mot 'maudique' ... c'est modique (ou 'maudite' ...). Egoistement je suis contente de savoir que nous ne sommes pas les seuls à souffrir de ce temps de cochon! J'ai acheté quelques bouquins, un collier avec une amonite, et un joli petit plat - pas de catastrophe pour la tirelire. Alors raconte - comment c'est le Pays Basque?

No RH- it is a professional realising there is a simple and genuine problem- and is aware that it does really make no difference - and decides to use their common sense. In our case, it was because the vet was called away on an emergency and saw us 2 hours later than our appointment, and wrote down the appt. time so we wouldn't miss our crossing.

Having worked in close cooperation with my local Wildlife Police Inspector in the UK, I know many Brits who cruelly treat animals, from badger baiters to dog fighters (often related) - but I wouldn't dream of tarring of the Brits with that label. It is true to say that if I saw a swan being trapped and killed the way you describe, I'd be horrified and the first to act- but at least these people are doing it to eat, rather than just for cruelty or fun. And enormous cruelty to animals is also prevalent in France - where even badger digging and all kinds of bird trapping is perfectly legal - and not done by illegal immigrants.

What a pain and palava for you, I am so sorry. Is there any chance of asking the vet to re-write a new passport with a bit of 'imagination'? Once we were at a Vet in Calais for pre-crossing passport check and treatment, and she had no hesitation in putting a couple of hours off. You might have to pay, but it would be much cheaper and easier than re-scheduling everything. Bonne chance.

Y-a plus personne?  Coucou! Un temps exécrable aujourd'hui - il pleut des hallebardes. Je vais descendre dans la Vallée pour aller à une grande brocante à la patinoire - ça va me changer les idées. Vive le printemps!

A Taste of Honey was the first film I ever saw in English, in 1966.  With Rita Tushingham - about a single mum on the streets who ends up being looked after by a young man who is gay. VERY moving - would love to see it again.

Nothing to do with your spelling - but your glasses! Glad you took it in jest. Very interesting link - will have a better look later. In the business world, it can become ridiculous, when every other word in a sentence is foreign- so I do agree that French words should be used. Why say 'meeting' when there is a perfectly good 'réunion', and so on. But it can become silly the other way too. From the sublime to the ridiculous...